Flintoff Falls for a Golden Duck

The indignity of a golden duck yesterday left Andrew Flintoff running short of time to make the substantial scores he admits he needs to secure an immediate England recall for next month's first Test against New Zealand.

After making 23 in his only previous innings this season, against Surrey at The Oval last week, Flintoff was as reluctant to walk as the umpire John Holder seemed to raise his finger when he pushed tentatively at his first ball from Somerset's all-rounder Peter Trego and snicked a catch to Craig Kieswetter. But he finally dragged himself away from the crease to spare Holder any embarrassment, and trudged back to the pavilion with a sheepish grin.

Assuming England name their squad for Lord's on the Sunday before the start of the Test on May 15, he could still have seven innings to build the sort of form and confidence at county level that has underpinned his previous batting success in international cricket. But the selectors would not necessarily be persuaded by runs against the students of Durham next week or in a couple of one-day games against the part-timers of Scotland, meaning that Flintoff probably needs to make an impression in the second innings here, or in Lancashire's next championship match, against Durham. And their attack is likely to include Steve Harmison starting on Wednesday week - unless England are sufficiently encouraged by his early-season bowling form to pick him anyway.

Flintoff had plenty of equally disappointed team-mates with whom to share his predicament, as Lancashire's powerful batting line-up fell to the unheralded Somerset seamers who responded superbly to the absence of Andy Caddick. Mark Turner, a skiddy 23-year-old who joined them from Durham last season, broke an opening stand of 66 with a yorker to Iain Sutcliffe, then trapped Mal Loye even more plumb and returned after lunch to have Stuart Law caught behind.

Brad Hodge poked unconvincingly at Charl Willoughby, Trego preceded Flintoff's dismissal by bowling Paul Horton for a patient 64, and Ben Phillips fired out Luke Sutton and Sajid Mahmood - for another first-baller - in evening sunshine at the end of a rain-interrupted day.